Heat exchanger



June 5, 1928. 1,672,650

w. LONSDALE HEAT EXCHANGER Filed July 27, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Vl z'llz'mn lonsdalc June 5, 1928.

W. LONSDALE HEAT EXCHANGER Filed July 27, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR W11 11am Lonsdale Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LONSDALE, F ROSELLE PARK, NEW JERSEY,-ASSIGNOR, BY EESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO FOSTER WHEELER CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HEAT EXCHANGER.

Application filed sta 27,

This invention relates to an improvementin heat exchangers such for example as are commonly employed in power plants, as surface condensers. feed water heaters. or the like, and as auxiliaries in refining petroleum in the oil industry. In these and similar types of heat exchangers. itis customary to employ a. shell containing aplurality of tubes. with means for passing one medium to and from the space within the shell and another medium to and from the tubes causing the same to flow through the tubes. In many uses to whichthese heat exchangers are adapted it is necessary to employ battles preferably placed transversely wit min the shell so as to cause the medium passing through the shell and around the tubes to follow a sinuous or tortuous path to effect a maximum transfer of the heat from one to the other of the mediums passing through the apparatus. In some instances due to the pressure. under which the medium passing through the space in the shell is forced through the same there is considerable leakage between the passes through which the medium is eaused to flow, obviously, re-- ducing the efiiciency of the apparatus to a material extent. It will therefore, be readily appreciated that to provide an efiicient apparatus it is necessary to provide a relatively tight joint around the battles in order to prevent this leaka e or the short ClI'CUll'r ing of the medium w ich flows through the space in the shell.

The object of the present invention IS to provide a yielding or resilient packing for the battles of a heat exchanger 0 the type to which reference has been made, and to this end in carrying out the invention the apparatus is fitted with slotted tubes adapted to receive the edge portions of a baffle and to resiliently engage the same so as to make a joint sufficiently tight to obviatethe leakage or short cireuiting of the medium passing through the shell, thereby causing each pass for the medium irrespective of the number of passes to be relatively tight by which the medium is maintained in its proper course and the etficiencyof the apparatus thereby correspondingly increased.

In carrying out the invention the resilient;

' joints for the battles are so constructed and applied as to make it possible to remove the 1927. Serial no. 208,679.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22, Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a section illustrating a resilient tube baflle packing.

Fig. 4 is asimilar view showing another form of the packing.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a further form of the packing.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing still another form of the packing.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sect-ion illustrating a form of circular packing.

Fig. 8 is a partial longitudinal section on line 88, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a partial side elevation illustrating the form of circular packing shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is a plan of the inner side of a sectlOl of tubular packing as shown in Fig. 9, an

Fig. 11 is a section showing another form of the invention.

In the drawing the shell of a. heat exchanger is designated at 10. This is preferably made of steel or other similar material and will stand the necessary pressure, and also as illustrated, is preferably cylindrical. Adjacent one end the shell is provided with a nozzle 11 as an inlet connection for a medium to or from which heat is to be imparted or extracted, and in an oppositely disposed position the shell is provided with a nozzle 12 forming a discharge connection for this medium. At the end adjacent the nozzles the shell is flanged as indicated at 13. At this end of ,.the shell there is a tube plate 14, a. box 15 having inlet and outlet nozzle connections 16 and 17 for another medium to or from whichheatis to be imparted or extracted, together with a cover or bonnet 18. The shell, the tube plate, and the box and the bonnet are. connected to each other in anysuitable manner well known in the art, and interiorly the box, as illustrated, is

provided with a transverse partition wall 19. At the opposite end of the shell the same is flanged and provided with a floating head or tube plate 20, and suitably secured means of a centrally disposed cylindricalmember 23. Connected at their ends and ext-ending between the said tube plates there are series of tubes 24 and 25 so that as will be understood the medium which for 'example enters at the inlet 16 passes through the tubes 25 tothe box 21 and thence in the opposite direction through the tubes 24 to i the box 15- and from the same by the discharge connection 17.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the centrally disposed member 23 is provided with a plurality of radially disposed baffles or partition walls. These are indicated at 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31. Along corresponding inner edges these bafile plates are rigidly connected to the outer surface of the member 23 by being welded thereto or otherwise. The width of each of these plates is such as to extend to a line appreciably distant from the inner surface of the shell 10.

Interiorl the shell 10 is provided with a series of to ular packing members. there being one for the outer edge of each of the said baflle plates. These tubular packing members are preferably connected to the shell by being welded thereto. In the construction illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, a packing tube is designated at 32. This is slotted at 33, and in an oppositely disposed position is welded to the shell 10 by a rivet or similar connection 34, it being understood that any necessary number of these welding connections are employed with each tube to secure the same in the desired position in the shell. The width of the slot in the tube is appreciably narrower than thethickness of the batlle plat/e intended to enter the same. (lonsequently it will now be understood that in placing the tubes 24 and 25 and the tube plates in which they are connected in position in the shell, the edge portions of the baflles 26 to 31 are inserted in the slots in the respective tube packings employed therefor so as to yieldingly engage and make a sufiiciently tight joint therewith to prevent the fluid medium from leaking by the same from one pass to the next in the interior of the shell.

Obviously, as shown in Figure 4 the ring packing for the battle plates may be so constructed that the ends thereof at which the division is made are turned inwardly as indicated at 35 and 36 so as to provide a materially greater gearing surface against the baflle plate fitted between the inturned ends. It will also be understood that the material of which the tube packing is made is sufliciently resilient to yieldingly engage the baflle plate and to assist in maintaining the parts in position within the shell. It will be equally obvious that the tubular packing members for the balllc plates may not be circular in section, as for example they may be elliptical as indicated in F ig. 5 in which the tube is designated at 37 and the slot therein at 38. the same being connected to the shell 10 by a rivet 39 or otherwise. This form of tube may-have int-urned ends as designated at 40 and 41 in Fig. 6. The formsof the tubes as more particularly illustrated in Figures 3 to 6 of the drawing are merely illustrative, asot-her and equivalent forms may obviously be employed.

In the packing tube as hereinbefore described, the joint is made for a battle plate which is longitudinally disposed relatively to the shell of the heat exchanger and the tubes extending through the same. However, this form of tubular packing joint is equally applicable in the use of transverse bafile plates, for example as illustrated in Figures 7 to -10 .of the drawing. the tube may be constructed in the form of a ring adapted to fit within and conform to the inner surface of the shell and to likewise receive and support a. transverse baffle making a resilient joint therewith. In these figures of the drawing, a ring of this type is designated at 42. The ends of the ring are cut so as form a lap joint as designated at .43 and 44 and the inner portion of the ring is slotted as indicated at 45 so as to receive the peripheral portion of a transverse batlle plate 46. Of course. in-tho use of this form of joint the tubular ring is titted to the peripheral portion of the battle and is adapted to yield for insertion into the shell of the heat exchanger. and when admitted to the shell to automatically expand to conform to any irregularities in the inner surface without springing sutriciei'itly to interfere with the joint between the tubular ring and the peripheral portion of the hafilc plate. Moreover. it will be understood that while only a single baflle plate of the transverse type is illustrated, any desirable or necessary number of the same may be employed in any given heat exchanger apparatus and thateach of the transverse bafiles irrespective of their number may be provided with a tubular ring packing as hereinbefore described.

In some instances particularly where there is ana preciable quantity of acid in the fluid to be heated or cooled by being pass through the heat exchanger there may be difficulty in separating the baffles from the tube supports due to the action of the acid on the steel or othcr like metal at the joint between the balllc and the slotted portion of the tube in which the peripheral portion of the bafllo is received. In order to obviate this difficulty in some instances it may be advisable to provide a tube with a. liner which is slotted to receive the baffle. plate. By reference to Fig. 11, it will be seen that the tube 47 may be secured to the shell 10 by being welded thereto as hereinbefore de scribed or otherwise and that this tube may be rovided with a liner or inner tube 4s ma e of brass or copper or similar material. The tube 47 is slotted as indicated at 49 and the tube 48 is slotted as indicated at 50. The Width of the slot 49 is appreciably greater than that of the slot 50 which latter is preferably of a width slightly less than the thickness of the bafile plate 51 adapted to be received in the slot. It will 'be understood that the slot 49 is of sufficient width to permit the bafile plate to pass within the same without coming into contact with the faces which define the slot so that the outer tube 49 may be made of steel or similar metal so as to be Welded to the shell and the relatively tight joint may be made with the bafile Without the liability of the acid action in the liquid aflecting the joint and making it impossible to remove the bathe with the parts associated therewith.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a heat exchanger. a shell. a plurality of tubes therein, inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the shell. inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the tubes. a baille plate. and a tube split to receive a peripheral portion of the said baflle plate to engage and form a packing joint therewith.

2. In a heat exchanger. a shell. a plurality of tubes therein, inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the shell. inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the tubes, a battle plate. and a resilient tube split lengthwise thereof and adapted to receive a peripheral portion of the said bafile plate to yieldingly engage and form a packing joint therewith.

3. In a heat exchanger. a shell, a plurality of tubes therein, inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the shell, inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the tubes, a battle plate extending across the interior of the shell and running longitudinally thereof. and tubes secured to the interior of the shell longitudinally thereof in diametrically opposite positions and adapted to engage the peripheral portions of the said battle plate to form a packing joint therewith.

4. In a heat exchanger. a shell. a plurality of tubes therein. inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the shell. inlet and outlet connections to and from the in terior of the tubes. at baflle plate extending across the interior of the shell and running longitudinally thereof. split tubes of resilient material. and means for securing the said tubes to the inner surface of the shell in opposite longitudinally disposed positions, the said split tubes being adapted to receive and yieldingly engage the peripheral portions of the Said bafiie plate to form a packing joint therewith.

5. In a heat. ex hanger. a shell. a plurality of tubes therein. inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the shell. inlet and outlet connections to and from the interior of the t'ul es. a battle plate extending across the interior of the shell and running longitudinally thereof. and oppositely disposed resilient tubes. each being provided with a longitudinal slot. the said tubes being welded to place against the inner surface of the shell and adapted to receive the peripheral portions of the said battle plate in the slots therein. the width of each slot being appreciably less than the thickness of the peripheral portion of the baffle plate whereby when the battle plate is in position in the slot the tube is sprung to cause the same to yicldingly engage the baffle plate to form a packing joint therewith.

Signed by me this lst day of Jul \VILLIAM LONSD 

